This is an update of a lifetime!!!!

First I’d like to start by introducing the world to our daughters! I know that all of you are checking here for pictures… so I won’t make you scroll to the bottom to see them!
Here they are:

We aren’t sure about names… we didn’t plan on adopting girls..so we’re at a loss… For now.. we’ll call them S and V. We’ll let you know names as soon as we decide… LOL!!

Now that you’ve seen how precious and sweet they are… I will share how incredibly AWESOME our God is. As everyone knows… we saw the girls for the first time yesterday afternoon… we knew they were ours. Let me explain a little more about what happened yesterday. We went to the babyhouse knowing we were most likely seeing girls. We were told that there were 2 girls that we could probably see. We had NO idea that they were twins or a sibiling set. We thought 2 girls to pick from. The normal procedure when arriving at the babyhouse is an interview with the bh director, the bh doctor, and other officials. They ask us questions about us, etc… and they then tell us all about available children. They share all their info.. ages, dob, weight, medical info. Etc.. You then decide if you want to meet those children or not. We expected this was the process we were walking into.. but, as we now know… God had different plans. We walked in the babyhouse.. waited for a few minutes and then Svetlana and Symbat said come on.. let’s go. Keep in mind we are OVERWHELMED with emotions just to be inside the babyhouse that we have known was keeping our child for 3 years. The pure idea of being inside the building was overwhelming. It all felt like a dream. We are then walking up stairs… I am trying to see in every door and every hallway, etc… (not in a rude way… but, just seeing what you can see)… it’s only natural.. you’ve dreamed of this place for years!!! I then realize that we are going into a large ‘room’. Svetlana then tells us that this is the music room. I then say.. oh are we seeing children right now.. she smiles and says yes… 2 girls. That was the moment that they came RUNNING into the room. They are FAST! They are grinning from ear to ear and sprinting into the room. They were thrilled to get to come in that room and play yet again with some strangers. (yes… they’ve been viewed and turned down NUMEROUS times they say.) As they are coming in.. I think.. wow they are really close in height.. and wait they really look alike.. I then say.. Svetlana, Symbat.. are they twins?! They laugh and say.. well, yes! Phil looks at me instantly and I know that he thinks these are our girls. I’m thinking… HANG ON A MINUTE! We are here for a son.. have you seen that room I decorated?! Lol. About 5 seconds later.. I realize that we might have been coming to Kaz. For twin girls.. and then Phil is just grinning from ear to ear. They are SPRINTING all over the room. We chase them around… lol.. and attempt to play! We played with them alone in that room with just our lawyer and translator for over 45 minutes. I realized after about 10 minutes that we were seeing our daughters. I quickly began assessing them… and saw lots of things that through up red flags in my “professional” brain. I asked ?’s and had the staff ask the girls to do things in Russian. I assessed their gross motor, fine motor, speech skills (receptive and expressively), overall congnition… and you know what?! I knew that we needed them.. and they needed us!
The play time ended in a whirlwind much like it started.. however, they were NOT happy to leave and did not want us to leave.
We then thought we were going to hear their medical info… (which I had already assessed and KNEW it would be a long list!)… but, the Dr was not available. We talked with the Orphanage Director for a long time. She and the entire staff were SO kind. I can’t even explain how comfortable they made us feel. We asked some ?’s about the girls… but, they decided that we would go back to the babyhouse today(Friday) and meet with the Dr. As we were leaving Phil says… we just met our kids! I said.. I know.. and we are about to BURST INTO tears! Oh.. and at one point I motioned to Phil over the girls head in the music room… 5 to 1 baby!! HEE HEE HEE!  He knew what I meant!
We came back to the apartment and we’re thinking ok.. we need to pool our money and see what we need to do… We knew we would come up short.. but, honestly I was hoping that when we looked at all the money we had here… at home in our accounts, etc… and added up all the fees with bringing home 2 children… there would MIRACOULSLY be enough! I added and readded… we discussed NOT eating while here… or trying to get by on next to nothing.. we discussed calling the bank asking for a loan. We discussed calling a couple of businessmen we know and asking for a loan. We cried.. we prayed… and knew these were our girls… but, did not have a CLUE about the money. I called my mom and told her about them.. and said.. Mother we are sure these are our girls.. but, we don’t have ANY idea how God’s going to provide the money. I sat at the computer with the accounts opened.. I stewed over the financial breakdown for 2 children from the agency… I prayed… I cried.. I decided to send out an email and just tell everyone the situation. I wrestled with it… My pride REARED it’s ugly head.. the enemy said things in my mind like… SURE Lanetta.. you already look like a fool… you’ve already asked so many people for money… you’ve fundraised them to death! People are tired of you asking.. people are tired of you saying you need miracle… people are tired of hearing about what God called you to do….
I almost didn’t send it… I almost didn’t tell anyone… I almost gave in… and gave up.. but, I remembered then all the scriptures that the Lord has given me over the past 3 years.. I remembered the word that my mother invested in my for years… I started saying those scriptures in my head… and I thought.. you know what…. I have to try.. I have to make the need known… I have to swallow my pride… so that God can move!
I cried.. I wrote it out… I debated about sending it… I rewrote some of it… I cried… Phil said.. are you sure you feel like we’re supposed to send that… let’s just call the bank?! ;) I knew that God did not expect us to inquire MORE debt to do what he spoke to us to do… I just KNEW it wasn’t his will… plus who’s going to give us a $10,000 unsecured loan in 12 hours anyway?! LOL!! We are in Pavlodar, Kazakhstan!
I started sending it… A dear friend IMed me on Skype.. I shared with her and asked her to PLEASE pray… she SCREAMED at me to NOT GIVE UP.. that she was going to share the word…. And that this would happen… God would do this… she encouraged me so much.. and for that I’m forever grateful! (I love you Becki! God used you last night in amazingly AWESOME ways!!) She began to spread the word on FB and email with the AMAZING community that I’m now apart of… (the Kaz. Adoption community!).. I shared with all my contacts.. family and friends…. I posted the email on my blog… I swallowed my pride.. followed my heart and guess what God did???
The Donations started rolling in… from people we don’t even know… from people who we love dearly… $100 here… $1,000 there.. $2.50, $5.00, $20, $500… We watched as God instantly started to work.. on behalf of 2 little girls who needed a forever family! When I finally went to bed around 3 am this morning.. the total was at around $7,000 (I think) and when we got up it was over $8,000 (I think)… I know it seems weird that I don’t know for sure.. but, we’ve had people donate to our paypal account… our bank at home… and lifesong.. some people have emailed saying they are sending a certain amount.. but, we aren’t sure if we’ve counted that in our total… or if it’s in the lifesong total.. etc..
Honestly, so many donations came in that I couldn’t keep up… I started writing them down.. and I have 4 pages worth…
I can not even express how amazing this is to us… and honestly I’m ashamed of myself for even being shocked… God spoke to my heart in such a real way on Sept. 21, 2007… and his word says EVERYWHERE that HE will complete what he called you to do… why do we doubt?!
As the donations kept rolling in into the morning I hours… I sat at this computer in this apartment in Kazakhstan – 7,000 miles away from home… and bawled like a baby… Our God is so so so Faithful!
Let me just say to everyone who is reading this.. that if you ever doubted that God will do what he said he would…. You ARE A FOOL!!! He’s working.. he’s working when it doesn’t feel like it.. maybe you’ve struggled for years in finances.. maybe your marriage is not what you want it to be, maybe you’re trusting God to bring a loved one in, maybe you are depressed, maybe you are trusting God for a breakthrough.. let me just encourage you… ALL OF YOU.. that God answers prayers… I can’t tell you how many times over the past 2 years I’ve wondered if he forgot about me.. and my adoption… I secretly wondered if he cared that my heart was breaking…. But, you know what… even when I didn’t see him.. and it didn’t feel like it… my God was moving.. he was moving on our behalf… he was keeping our twin babies safe… he was holding them… he was preparing all your hearts to give last night.. he was lining it all up… He was working when it seemed like and felt like he’s forgotten me… and my dear friends and family… he’s working for you too… Be encouraged today… if you are reading this YOU have just seen and been apart of a miracle… God is still alive and well.. and moving in our midst.. He desires to see the very thing he called us all to do come to past… be encouraged.. smile.. love on someone today… life is to short to waste it on NOT living it 150% for him!!!
Sorry.. that got a little preachy.. but, I can so feel God right now..
So… I have to share this info. As well.. when we arrived back at the apartment we had received an email and we received a $4,000 donation to put us over the top… let me just share with you how thrilled this made us… when we said we needed $10,000.. that was with us pooling EVERY penny we own and cutting cost here in country A LOT!! We honestly needed about $12,000 to be comfortable… I prayed this morning and asked God to please give us a little comfort room… I just have to say being in a foreign country and DEAD broke is NOT all that fun to think about… God has provided… I think we’re exactly at around $12,000!!!! Isn’t that absolutely amazing and JUST LIKE GOD!!
Ok.. back to the twins.. I now realize that if we had received/heard the medical info/development info. Before meeting them… (even though I saw and knew lots of it while meeting them)… I know my reaction would have been differently. God orchestrated it all right down to the second they walked into our arms.
The director and Dr and our lawyer/staff was SHOCKED today when we said yes! We smiled through tears and said.. YES… we just know they are OUR girls!
I was also already able to share about the money with our translator… I of course didn’t mention the Lord.. but, that overnight the money had come in to adopt the twins.. we knew it was what we are supposed to do… God is opening her heart.. and I know that seeds are being planted daily!!
Ok… I will stop for now..
Check back soon.. I will post details of bonding… We bonded this afternoon..so day one of bonding is completed!! I will share more pics soon!!
PLEASE keep praying for us.. .the twins.. and the girls at home…
When we saw ‘girls’ now… it takes on a whole new meaning!!! Ha ha!!
GOD IS SO INCREDIBLY AMAZINGLY AWESOME!!!